Lithuanian border guards bring down homemade drone from Belarus
Incident Report
Fact Sheet
| Date | 23 May 2026 |
| Tracker | European Airspace Violations |
| Type | Interception |
| Location |
Šalčininkai District, Lithuania
54.36, 25.33 (approximate) |
What Happened
Lithuanian border guards at Purvėnai in the Šalčininkai district brought down a homemade drone crossing from Belarus, after an alert from the Lithuanian Air Force. The machine, believed to belong to smugglers, was neutralised as it approached the border post at Eišiškės and fell near the village of Dumblė. The State Border Guard Service reported that 18 drones carrying smuggled goods from Belarus had been downed since the start of 2026, against 59 cross-border drones intercepted in the whole of 2025.
Šalčininkai District, Lithuania
Marker placed at region precision.
Incidents Around the Same Period
Nearest logged incidents
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 19 May 2026 | Interception | Romanian F-16 shoots down Ukrainian drone over Estonia |
| 20 May 2026 | Incursion | Lithuania issues first-ever red air warning as drone crosses border |
| 21 May 2026 | Incursion | Drone alerts in Lithuania and Latvia scramble NATO aircraft |
| 23 May 2026 | Strike | Drone explodes on impact in Latvian lake |